Keir Starmer has admitted he is a fan of Orange Juice and Northern soul.
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Speaking in a new interview with BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions, the Prime Minister discussed his musical tastes and personal life.
Starmer chose a selection of his favourite music including works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Elgar, and reflected on his own musical journey, which included learning to play violin alongside Fatboy Slim at school.
Speaking about the band Orange Juice in particular, who he discovered after moving to Leeds, where he studied law in the 1980s, Starmer said: “The whole cultural experience going from rural village life to a really busy, diverse, fantastic, living city like Leeds. And with it came a whole new chapter of music, I love the music [of Orange Juice], I love the lyrics, but also for me it’s this memory of going to Leeds.”
On Northern soul he added: “If you can imagine me, sleeves rolled up, chopping in the kitchen, happy, listening to northern soul and my daughter singing away at the top of her voice.”
Starmer also said that music helped him following the death of his younger brother Nick, last year.
He added: “It really hit me. That was really hard because I just wanted to grieve for my little brother. And music gave me a place to go to escape from all of that.”
How music helped the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in his grief, after losing his brother last year.
Sir Keir joins Michael Berkeley on Private Passions at 12pm this Sunday to talk about music, family and the pressures of politics, sharing some of his favourite classical… pic.twitter.com/qu0tmeIv62
— BBC Radio 3 (@BBCRadio3) October 26, 2025
Earlier this year, Fatboy Slim also recalled how he took violin lessons with the Prime Minister.
He said at the time: “I can’t actually remember the violin lessons. But I was in the same class at school as Keir for five years, so I remember him well.
“He must have been better at the violin than me, because I did it for about one term. My parents could take no more noise, so I would say Keir was better.”
Starmer previously spoke to NME, and he was asked about the £1 ticket levy to help support the survival of grassroots music venues – which has been implemented on major live tours by the likes of Coldplay, Katy Perry, Sam Fender and Mumford & Sons.
“I’m very supportive of this initiative, the £1 levy going back into grassroots [venues], because so much of our music is grassroots,” Starmer responded at the time, after the government backed a levy on shows at arena level and above last year.
He acknowledged that smaller, independent establishments are “where a lot of people access their music”, adding: “It’s obviously where a lot of musicians start off, and therefore I’m hugely supportive of it. I’d like to see it expanded even more, but I want to support it in any way we can.”
He was also among the politicians who called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up for this year’s Glastonbury Festival. NME asked Starmer why he felt the need to speak out. “Kneecap shouldn’t be performing at Glastonbury, and I don’t support inciting violence as free speech,” he said at the time.
“I think it’s important that we distinguish the issues we all care about and should be spoken about freely on the one hand, and then the incitement to violence on the other. They’re two different things.”
Later, they hit out at the PM during their performance on the West Holts stage: “The Prime Minister of your country said he didn’t want us to play, so fuck Keir Starmer.” The band have since led similar onstage chants against the PM.
